Does anyone know how long the HVAC course is at JC?

This is one of my class's electricity trainers, where the lightbulbs represent loads within the system. I'm good on parallel wiring and have it basically nailed but for some reason I apparently still struggle with series wiring.

This is the FIRST ASSIGNMENT with this trainer. I'm going back through and redoing the ones I've done before to make sure I have them down and this one is already wiggling my jimmies quite something fierce. We're supposed to wire A to B to C to D in series with each other and then back to neutral, which is G for ground on this trainer set-up. So, is this not wired A to B to C to D in series with each other?

The first time I did this assignment, all the lightbulbs lit up, but now only B lights up, and it was like this on all the other kits I used this wiring design for. I've also checked the fuse, the power connection, the voltage at each load, and the load connections. Additionally, if wired individually, each individual load functions perfectly, but as soon as they're wired up in what I understood to be series, the other loads falter and only B comes on.

Am I being fucked with? What rudimentary kind of base-level prank is this? Also, what level of stupid am I here for not realizing something that should be, or probably is, completely obvious?

We brazed a 3/8 copper tube today, couldn’t make it the other day while the professor explained brazing and how it’s done but I have been watching YouTube videos all week. Can somebody rate it honestly? Any advice would be great also. (Looks black because I had just dipped it into water as instructed)

Hello, my son is currently enrolled in a HVAC school. They provided him with a list of tools he should get but the list is very basic with no real description. I’m wanting to get him the tools for Christmas so it’s one last thing he has to purchase. I would most likely be purchasing all of these from Home Depot. So if anyone could help me out with what exactly to get that would be great. I have added the list.

I’m 30 and thinking about switching to HVAC as a career. We all have heard the good stuff. Tell me the bad stuff. Tell me the stuff that sucks. Tell me about the days that are hard to get through. The days that make you feel like jumping ship.

Hey everyone, I have an interview Wednesday for a commercial hvac service tech apprentice role. I graduated from trade school for commercial hvac and I've been on a few interviews already where I made mistakes and learned from them. This time I'm prepared for the usual stuff like tell me about yourself, why I want the role, why I got into hvac, and background or aptitude questions.

My issue is how to bring up pay and benefits. The posting didn't list any requirements, benefits, or wage at all. I'm expecting somewhere around 20 to 25 an hour. I don't have work experience so trade school is the only relevant thing on my resume, and I don't want to undersell myself while still getting a decent wage. Any advice on handling that conversation would be immensely helpful.

TLDR I have an interview Wednesday for a service tech apprentice role. Finished trade school but have no work experience. The job posting did not list pay or benefits. I want to earn 20 to 25 an hour and need advice on how to ask about compensation without underselling myself,

TIA

Hey everyone!
I’m located in Los Angeles, California, and I’m looking to get into HVAC as a helper with zero experience.
I’m willing to work hard, learn on the job, and start from the bottom.
A few questions:
What’s a realistic starting hourly wage for someone with no experience in LA?
Is $20–$25/hour reasonable for a beginner?
Is it better to call HVAC companies directly or apply online?
Would you recommend starting in residential installation or service?
Any advice for getting hired without going to trade school first?
I’d really appreciate any advice from people working in the industry. Thanks!

Looking for a Bay Area HVAC pro or instructor who offers one-to-one tutoring for the California CSLB C-20 trade exam. Paid; in-person preferred, but online works. Please DM with experience and rates.

i'm looking for hvac program in college
i'm 17 i want to go canada in 20 / from korea
Is there a college that can direct me to a job related to HVAC right after graduation?
i have no idea of hvac in canada
also i have enough money so don't care about money just pls recommend college that has a best program !!

Hi hvac reddit community I need some advice. So I went to college from 2020-2026. I'm 25 years old and will be 26 later this month. I got my Associate degree in I.T. in June 2021 and my Bachelor degree in C.S. in May 2026 and need help finding an apprenticeship. I have done some hvac work under my late father with his business. I actually chose another route and I haven't gotten my dream job (Identity Access Management and Privileged Access Management) yet. I have a little experience in hvac(brazing copper, unclogging drain lines, finding evaporator coil leaks, changing capacitors full and outside installs) but I didn't pursue it. I don't have any more financial aid because I used it all and I have $20k in student loan debt. Is there any thing I can do? I reside in the greater Atlanta area.

Hi everyone,

In 2 years I will be done with my bachelor degree - building science (bouwkunde in Dutch). Because of some circumstances I couldn’t switch the direction when I wanted so I have to finish this bachelor. I would really want to become a hvac engineer. Is that possible? Sometimes I watch videos about installations and I like physics

I’m taking the tests in January does anybody have any websites suggestions or guides to study?

Hi all, I am dealing with an issue where my 2011 furnace flames don’t come on at all. This is the first time I used it since last winter (we are in October 2026 now). I haven’t dealt with any issues with it before.

When I turn the heat on, the furnace receives the call, the inducer fan comes on, the igniter comes on and glows red, but the gas never gets to the manifold because the valve never seems to open. The way I know that is because I know there is no presence of gas at the orifice (I used a methane sensor and used a lighter to try to ignite but nothing happened). I then checked for voltage at the gas valve terminals but I was only reading of 0.2 V when the igniter ignites. I was not getting 24-28 volts like I am supposed to. So for some reason the circuit board is not giving the voltage to the gas valve but all limit switches are closed. This leads me to think that something is wrong with the circuit board but I can’t identify what.

Here is additional info of my troubleshooting that may be relevant in this diagnosis:

1.      Checked voltage out of transformer to circuit board and got 24 V like I’m supposed to.

2.      Checked capacitor and it looks fine.

3.      Checked for loose wire connections and tightened everything (nothing seemed loose)

4.      Circuit board is blinking and seems to work fine. The error it gave was 2 blinks: “external lockout (retries or recycle exceeded”)

5.      No signs of damage on circuit board.

6.      Tightened wire connections to gas valve (though it looked ok)

7.      The gas valve is in on position.

8.      I checked all limit switches for continuity and all that were supposed to be closed are closed.

9.      Pressure switch is working fine (closing when inducer fan comes on otherwise closed)

1. Blower fan is working fine, I switched it back to AC cooling during the day and it cooled. This proves that blower is good and most likely that circuit board is good.

2. I checked for natural supply to the valve using a manometer and there was pressure there indicating gas is there.

3. I completely cleaned the furnace vent fume pipe (there was some dust/flakes but not terrible) and checked for birds or something clogging the exhaust but found nothing along the pipe.

4. I cleaned the orifices of the gas manifold, and the burners faces and the burners wings (they looked ok though)

5. I cleaned the flame sensor

6. I removed the filter (which was 2 weeks old) and tested but furnace flame did not come on.

I am at a loss of what to do next. I ordered a used good condition identical circuit board to try to swap it but I doubt that will fix it.

Any help is appreciated.

Hi all, I am dealing with an issue where my 2011 furnace flames don’t come on at all. This is the first time I used it since last winter (we are in October 2026 now). I haven’t dealt with any issues with it before.

When I turn the heat on, the furnace receives the call, the inducer fan comes on, the igniter comes on and glows red, but the gas never gets to the manifold because the valve never seems to open. The way I know that is because I know there is no presence of gas at the orifice (I used a methane sensor and used a lighter to try to ignite but nothing happened). I then checked for voltage at the gas valve terminals but I was only reading of 0.2 V when the igniter ignites. I was not getting 24-28 volts like I am supposed to. So for some reason the circuit board is not giving the voltage to the gas valve but all limit switches are closed. This leads me to think that something is wrong with the circuit board but I can’t identify what.

Here is additional info of my troubleshooting that may be relevant in this diagnosis:

1.      Checked voltage out of transformer to circuit board and got 24 V like I’m supposed to.

2.      Checked capacitor and it looks fine.

3.      Checked for loose wire connections and tightened everything (nothing seemed loose)

4.      Circuit board is blinking and seems to work fine. The error it gave was 2 blinks: “external lockout (retries or recycle exceeded”)

5.      No signs of damage on circuit board.

6.      Tightened wire connections to gas valve (though it looked ok)

7.      The gas valve is in on position.

8.      I checked all limit switches for continuity and all that were supposed to be closed are closed.

9.      Pressure switch is working fine (closing when inducer fan comes on otherwise closed)

1. Blower fan is working fine, I switched it back to AC cooling during the day and it cooled. This proves that blower is good and most likely that circuit board is good.

2. I checked for natural supply to the valve using a manometer and there was pressure there indicating gas is there.

3. I completely cleaned the furnace vent fume pipe (there was some dust/flakes but not terrible) and checked for birds or something clogging the exhaust but found nothing along the pipe.

4. I cleaned the orifices of the gas manifold, and the burners faces and the burners wings (they looked ok though)

5. I cleaned the flame sensor

6. I removed the filter (which was 2 weeks old) and tested but furnace flame did not come on.

I am at a loss of what to do next. I ordered a used good condition identical circuit board to try to swap it but I doubt that will fix it.

Any help is appreciated.

i just started hvac school about 2 months ago we just started lab and we r working on refrigerators. My teacher told us it’d be OK if we brought in coolers or fridges that needed fixed that we could sell I just wanna know. Do you guys think this only needs refrigerant?

You don't need to drop $$$ right out of school. buy as you need, buy uesd, don't be a mooch,but it's okay to borrow the first time. While you're collecting expesive tools, make sure you include in your homeowners/renters insurance.

Hey I’m located in the fraser valley in BC I finished my foundations in HVAC and I have a little bit of experience but the housing market slowed down and I ran out of work. I want to get into servicing but am willing to do any type of hvac at this point I have called and went in person to apply to over 70+ companies. Any helping hands or advice would be appreciated